Dragon and Tiger characters connected — signifying the union of heaven and earth= the state of enlightenment.

Dragon and Tiger characters connected — signifying the union of heaven and earth= the state of enlightenment.
For a feast of zenga, please check out Seeing Zen by John Stevens on Amazon! A ground breaking and astounding book. View the Seeing Zen flyer
Rinzai’s descendants do not know Zen.
In front of Crazy Cloud, who dares to explain Zen?
For thirty years, on my shoulders I have carried
The weight of Shogen’s Red Thread Zen.
I am teaching you the gateway to essential Zen. Zen is endlessly discussed with empty phrases and pretentious words; all that effort goes on and on missing the mark…
Former Abbot of Murasakino Daitoku Zen Temple, Jun Ikkyu, world’s number one venerable priest.
THE ONE TRUE TASTE OF TEA
I share a sip of tea together with the spring wind and 10,000 peaks;
Then with my arms folded in my sleeves I contently stroll along the riverbank.
Sen No Rikyu (1522 – April 21, 1591) based his calligraphy on the original two verses from a poem by Kaiseki (Chieh-shih), a Zen Master of the late Sung. The complete original poem goes:
Jiun Sonja (1718-1804): “Every Day is a Good Day” is from the famous Zen Koan by 10th century master Unmon. Unmon said: “I do not ask you about fifteen days ago. But what about fifteen days hence? Come, say a word about this!” Since none of the monks answered, he answered for them: “Every day is a good day.”
My painting finally came. It is wild…….a duck smashing into water his feathers flying , to the right, to the left….every which way. If you look at it quickly , you miss it……perfect composition, the still point (his eye) in the midst of flurry. It is totally alive.
One thing is for sure, the painter Li Shan was a genius. The painting itself is about 2 feet high by 2 1/2 feet long. It’s a monumental piece….needs lots of empty space around it.
Ishikawa Jozan, best known for the creation of the beautiful garden villa of Shisendo outside Kyoto, was also a master of calligraphy, among other things. He is mentioned in Hakuin’s autobiography Wild Ivy as a student of the Taoist who taught Hakuin a powerful method of healing.
Notes: This Sawaki Kodo Enso is masterful. I opened it and put it on the wall……welcoming its spirit with incense and fell right into meditation. It’s one of those pieces having seen, you feel happy you are collecting pieces. A real zen masterpiece…
Not One Thing – Soen
“NOT ONE THING: ENSO”
Master Nakagawa Soen
Enso. A circle reveals its own meaning…
Perfection, completeness, a roundness of form.
It also delineates inside from outside, and binds space
within its boundaries, where opposites can play
…and life can find a meaning.